


Home Sweet Home

by red_raspberry



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, I just wanted to write something cute, Johnny is a father, Mark and Haechan are his children, Will update tags as they come up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:08:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,933
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24137125
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/red_raspberry/pseuds/red_raspberry
Summary: Johnny and his two sons, Mark and Haechan, live a very simple life. Their day-to-day lives are filled with plenty of warmth and love.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 46





	1. Stormy Nights

**Author's Note:**

> Hi y'all, this is just something i whipped up one night around 3 am. I had been craving a fic with some good Dad!Johnny content, so i decided to try and write my own. This is the first story, let alone fanfiction, that I've ever written, so feel free to leave any comments! I'm still remembering how to write dialogue, so I apologize if it's kind of weird hehe. Also i apologize for any comma splices. I love to just throw in commas. Anyway, I'll try to update as often as I can!!! I'm not sure the direction it'll go in, but it'll definitely be nice and fluffy. 
> 
> p.s- I know that Haechan's real name is Donghyuck but I'm just used to seeing/hearing Haechan so i stuck with it! Also just assume that they live in the US. I've only lived here so it's all i know~~

Johnny awoke to the soft pitter-patter of rain hitting the window behind him. He slowly rose his head only to realize he had fallen asleep at his desk; the computer in front of him still hummed lightly as the screen displayed the early workings of the novel he had been writing. He looked to the lower right of the screen to see the small 3:20 AM displayed there. Johnny stifled a yawn as he brought his hands up to rub at his eyes. Outside, low rumbles of thunder could be heard in the distance: the remnants of a passing storm. He saved his work before putting the desktop to sleep, his mind still groggy from the hour-long nap he had accidentally taken. Softly padding out of his office space, he closed the door behind him as quietly as he could. The door across the hall was slightly ajar, so Johnny made his way over and slowly opened it enough to peak his head in. On the floor of the small bedroom sat two young children: a curly, black-haired boy wearing a light green dinosaur onesie, and a brown-haired, chubby cheeked boy wearing a pair of orange striped pajama pants and a matching top. The only illumination in the room came from a night-light plugged in next to the door. The black-haired boy, Mark, was stacking blocks while the other boy, Haechan, watched him silently with a small red bear hugged to his chest. At the slight movement of the door opening Haechan looked up and let out a soft gasp. 

“Did the thunder wake you two up?” Johnny asked, making his way into the room. Mark startled at the sudden voice, the blocks he was stacking toppling over. Both boys watched their father crouch in front of them, too nervous to say anything. “It’s alright if it did,” Johnny told them, “it must’ve been pretty loud, huh?”

Haechan quickly nodded his head, looking up at Johnny with wide eyes. “I was scared so I came into Mark’s room. He was scared too.” 

“I was not!” Mark shouted, his cheeks turning a rosy pink. “I just knew that you were scared so I let you stay with me.” 

Johnny chuckled, gently laying a hand on both the boys’ heads. He ruffled their hair softly, earning smiles from all 3 of them. “It’s alright to be scared. Loud sounds are very scary, aren’t they Haechan?”

“They are! But I was a big boy, Daddy, I didn’t cry or anything!” Haechan quickly stood up from his spot on the floor and stretched his arms upwards, standing on his tiptoes. “This big!”

“That big you say? Well why don’t my two big boys try to get back to sleep now that the storm is over?” Johnny stood and picked up Haechan, resting him on his hip. “I’m sure you’re both very tired.” 

Mark yawned in reply and began making his way to his bed in the corner of the room. Johnny followed him, careful to step over the now abandoned blocks on the floor. Once Mark was settled, Johnny used his free hand to pull the covers up around his shoulders. He leaned down and placed a kiss on the boys’ forehead. 

“Thank you for looking after your brother.”

Mark gave a soft hum in response, his heavy eyelids already beginning to droop. Johnny smiled down at the four-year-old before turning around and making his way out of the room. He closed the door behind him and made his way to the room at the end of the hall—his own master bedroom. The room was a decent enough size with a closet on the far-right side, a bathroom connected on the left, and a large king-sized bed along the wall shared with the bathroom. Johnny brought himself and his youngest to the bed, pulling the blankets back before setting his son down. 

“You want to sleep with Dada tonight?” Johnny knew the answer before he even asked, but he let his son slowly nod, his toddler eyes fighting to stay open against the deep tendrils of sleep. Haechan crawled beneath the covers in the middle of the bed while Johnny got in beside him. When Johnny was settled, Haechan curled up next to him. He had one hand still gripping his red bear plush and the other came to rest on his father’s chest. Johnny softly brushed the hair out of the boy’s face for a moment before pulling him closer. He kissed the toddler on the forehead before closing his own eyes, letting the tug of sleep take over. He felt a pang of guilt at not asking Mark if he wanted to sleep with them, but he knew the child would’ve said ‘no’ anyway. Mark didn’t like sharing a bed with his brother, claiming that Haechan moved around too much. Johnny didn’t have much time to dwell on his guilt though, as he quickly fell into a deep sleep, surrounded by the extra warmth his son provided.


	2. Breakfast in Bed?

The next morning, Johnny woke up alone in his bed. The spot Haechan had been sleeping in was now vacant; the ruffled sheets served as the only indicator that he had rested there a few moments previously. Johnny reached his arm out and grabbed his phone laying on the bedside table. He disconnected the charger before tilting the phone forward, illuminating its lock screen. Two text notifications displayed beneath the time, 8:07 a.m. Johnny groaned at the time, wishing he could’ve gotten a couple more hours of rest. Swiping open the text notifications, he cringed slightly at the brightness of the screen. The texts were from his friend Jaehyun, whom Johnny has known since middle school. At 7:30, Jaehyun had texted a simple, you up yet? 18 minutes later he had asked you wanna go out for breakfast, with the boys? At the usual spot?

Johnny sent back a quick affirmative before asking what time they should meet. Setting his phone back on the nightstand, Johnny sat up and rubbed his eyes. He decided he should probably go check on the two kids to see what they were up to. While he was hoping Haechan had just gone into his brothers’ room to sleep some more, he knew that was probably not the case. The house had a finished basement, and both boys loved heading downstairs to play with the various games and toys that taken up residency down there. His phone suddenly lit up with a new text message, which Johnny leaned over to read. It was a response from Jaehyun, and it simply read a single time, 9:00. 

As Johnny began standing up from the bed, he heard a loud crash in the kitchen followed by the sound of glass breaking. He hurriedly ran the distance from his bedroom to the kitchen, stopping in the doorway when he saw a large puddle of what appeared to be orange juice on the floor. He looked up from the puddle to find Mark and Haechan on the other side of it. Haechan was on his knees, a stool from the breakfast bar knocked over beside him. On the other side of the toddler was Mark, who had one arm hand under his brothers’ armpit and was, by the looks of it, trying to help him up. The remains of a broken drinking glass laid scattered on the floor in front of Haechan, some of it laying in the puddle on the floor. A box of strawberries laid toppled over next to the pair, spilling onto the floor.  
Both boys looked up when their father appeared in the doorway, and Haechan immediately burst into tears. Johnny skirted around the puddle and broken glass to kneel in front of his youngest. He helped him to his feet and looked him up and down, trying to find any sign of injury.

“Are you okay?” Johnny asked the crying child, trying to keep the panic out of his voice, “Did you hurt yourself?”

Haechan shook his head and wrapped his arms around Johnny, burying his face in the crook of his neck. Johnny could feel his tears on his skin, but he was only relieved that the toddler was okay. He looked to Mark then, noticing the tears welling in his eyes. He extended the arm not currently holding Haechan out to him. 

“Did you hurt yourself, sweetie?”

Mark, much like his brother, only shook his head and came into Johnny’s embrace, resting his head on his fathers’ shoulder. Johnny stood up holding both boys and navigated back out of the kitchen, careful not to step on anything. The mess could wait, for his children came first. He walked out into the living room, bouncing both the kids lightly. Neither boy was heavy, but Johnny knew he’d grow tired holding both of them for a long period of time. So, he made his way over to the sofa and sat down, resting Mark and Haechan on his knees. Now that he didn’t have to use his arms to support their weight, Johnny rubbed slow circles on their backs to help calm them down. Haechan had calmed down considerably in just a few moments; his sobs turning only into an occasional sniffle. Mark lifted his head after some time and he sat back, his eyes looking everywhere but at his father. 

“We’re sorry,” He started, tearing up again, “we wanted to bring you some breakfast but Haechan tripped on one of the stools and fell.” 

Haechan sat up, his lip trembling. “I’m sorry I broke the glass and spilled the juice.” 

Johnny smiled at each boy, moving his hands up to ruffle their hair. He saw a small smile form on both their lips, which made his own smile grow. No parent liked to see their children sad and upset; a smile was always preferred. 

“I’m just glad neither of you were hurt,” Johnny reassured them, “accidents happen all the time. I’m happy that you two wanted to do something nice for me, but how about next time you come get me first and we can make something together. That sound like a plan?” 

Mark and Haechan both shouted “Yes!” in reply, wearing looks of determination. Johnny chuckled and looked at the clock, suddenly remembering the texts from Jaehyun.

“Oh! Would you guys like to go out to breakfast with Uncle Jaehyun? We’d have to get ready super, super fast though.” 

Johnny sat up straight as each boy let out their excitement. They scrambled to get off their father’s lap, their moods a sudden 180 degree shift from what they had been only moments ago. Johnny told them to get changed and to brush their teeth while he went into the kitchen to clean up. Both Mark and Haechan asked if they could help but Johnny waved them on, not wanting them to accidentally step on the broken glass. Plus, he knew they both took a long time to pick out their outfits. On most days they were allowed to dress themselves, except for occasions where a more weather appropriate outfit is needed, or a more formal one. The kids liked having a say in what they wear, and Johnny liked seeing their creative fashion senses. 

Making his way into the kitchen, Johnny crouched beneath the sink, opening the cabinet. He pulled out a pair of rubber gloves he kept hanging on the door and put them on, moving to the broken glass. Fortunately, the glass only broke into a few big pieces, so he picked them up rather easily. He wrapped them in many layers of paper towel before carefully disposing them. The fallen strawberries were picked up next and left on the counter, with promises of being planted in the garden out back. Nothing was really planted in garden, but Johnny made a silent vow that he would plant the strawberries later with the boys. After the glass and strawberries were taken care of, Johnny worked on cleaning up the juice. He discarded the now saturated paper towels into the trash until the area was dry. He then wet a paper towel and swept it over the area to clean up any remaining stickiness. Of course, he knew a mop would be more efficient and cleaner, but Johnny was feeling particularly lazy. Content with his cleaning, he washed his hands and put the gloves away, making his way back towards his bedroom. 

Singing could be heard from the bathroom off to the right of Marks bedroom which he knew was a sign that the boys were brushing their teeth. They brushed their teeth one at a time so they could sing each other the alphabet song. Johnny had told them a while ago that they should always brush in the time it took to sing their ABC’s, but he didn’t think they would actually take to singing it. Johnny pushed open the bathroom door to supervise with their brushing. Mark was typically very efficient in his tooth cleaning, but Haechan was quite lazy (Johnny always had to finish brushing for him). After they finished brushing their teeth, Johnny ushered them into their rooms to get dressed. He’s not sure what they were doing the entire time he was cleaning the kitchen, but he knew they were behind schedule. When Johnny got into his room, the first thing he did was text Jaehyun and mention they might be a few minutes late. Once he set his phone back down, he headed into his bathroom to wash his face and brush his own teeth. Finished in the bathroom he walked over to his closet, grabbing a pair of jeans and an old college t-shirt. He slipped on a pair of tennis shoes and grabbed a light jacket from its hanger, throwing it on. Turning around from the closet, he saw Mark and Haechan standing in his doorway looking ready to go. Mark was wearing a long-sleeved Spider-Man shirt and what looked like Spider-Man pajama pants. His feet were covered by a pair of, to no one’s surprise, Spider-Man sneakers. Haechan was dressed much simpler in a teal long-sleeved shirt with a shark on the front and a pair of dark jeans. He had on a pair of brown sandals, and Johnny chuckled when he saw they were on backwards. 

“Are you ready, Daddy?” Haechan asked, bouncing slightly on the balls of his feet, “we want to see Uncle Jae.”

Johnny came around and grabbed his phone from where it sat on the bedside table, shoving it in his pocket.

“Yep, I just need to grab my wallet and keys and then we’re off.” He ushered both boys down the hall, complimenting Mark on his themed outfit and telling Haechan he should switch his shoes in the car. He picked up his keys and wallet from the table in their foyer and the trio headed outside, Haechan serenading their short walk to the car with a made-up song about chocolate chip pancakes and chocolate milk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had Plans to make their breakfast date part of this chapter but then i thought it would be toooo long so it'll be the next chapter. Also i do not know how to clean up glass so neither does Johnny ^_^ I hope yall enjoyed! sorry for any mistakes :)


	3. A Much Needed Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!! A new chapter is up :0 I'm so sorry it took me so long to update this fic. I didn't get a new laptop until a couple weeks ago, and while i tried writing the fic on my phone, I found my motivation severely lacking. But now that school is starting and I'll love procrastinating on my work, I'm expecting to write a lot more! Again, I'm sorry for the wait, but i hope y'all enjoy the chapter!

They pulled into the diners parking lot at 9:17. A few minutes later the trio was walking into the diner, the sweet scent of pancakes and syrup greeting them at the door. The boys’ attention was instantly drawn towards the large, clear case next to the door filled with various cakes and pies. Johnny kindly reminded them not to touch the glass before scanning the room for his friend. He spotted Jaehyun seated in a booth on the far corner of the diner. Jaehyun looked up from his phone and smiled when he spotted the small family, rising from his seat. Johnny directed Mark and Haechan’s attention to the corner of the diner and they took off running when they saw their father’s best friend. Jaehyun crouched down and held out his arms to welcome the two kids. The boys launched themselves into his outstretched arms and Jaehyun pulled them both into a tight hug. Johnny approached them with a smile, feeling slightly apologetic towards the other patrons as his sons started screeching with laughter. When he reached their booth, Jaehyun lowered both boys back to the floor, their laughter subsiding. Haechan immediately crawled into the side of the booth that Jaehyun had been occupying moments ago and tapped his hand on the spot next to him. 

“Sit next to me, Uncle Jae! Sit next to me!” Haechan was practically vibrating with excitement, so Jaehyun slid in the booth next to him. 

Mark crossed his arms and frowned, protesting at the seating arrangement. “I wanna sit next to Uncle Jae, that’s not fair!”

Jaehyun smiled and leaned across the edge of the table to ruffle the boy’s hair.“You can sit next to me next time,” he promised, “I’ll make sure of it.”

Mark sighed but nodded his head, crawling into the empty side of the booth. Johnny slid in next to him and passed a silent “thank you” to Jaehyun. It’s not like either boy ever really argued with him, but they always listened to everything Jaehyun said without a second thought. Sometimes it was simply easier for Jaehyun to suppress the potential tears than for Johnny to even attempt to. A young waitress came over after they were all seated and introduced herself while handing Mark and Haechan a small pack of crayons they could use to color in the back of their paper placemats. She took the orders for their drinks and walked away, giving a wink and a smile to Jaehyun. Johnny rolled his eyes once she had her back to them and clicked his tongue. Jaehyun smiled but threw his hands up in innocence.

“I didn’t do anything, honest.” He said, lowering his hands.

“You never do! You’re not even that handsome...” Johnny scoffed. He shook his head slowly, picking up the menu in front of him and flipping through it. He looked towards the kids and saw them intently coloring in the various animals and spaces on their placemats. Haechan had his brows furrowed and the tip of his tongue was sticking out while he colored in what looked like a clown fish. Mark was busy practicing writing his own name in the margins of his mat. Johnny asked them what they were hungry for and Haechan was quick to throw his head up with demands of chocolate chip pancakes. Mark pondered for a bit but ultimately agreed with his brother about wanting pancakes. They went back to coloring, so Johnny directed his attention to Jaehyun, asking him how he’d been since the last time they hung out. They got together as often as they could, but it had been a couple weeks since they saw each other last. 

“I’ve been well,” he said, “I’m really glad summer break is finally here. Time to just sit back and relax. You have a summer class you have to teach, don’t you?”

“Yep, but only one,” Johnny replied with a nod, “So it’s not too bad.”

Both men were educators, though Johnny taught at a university in their town, and Jaehyun taught third grade at one of the elementary schools. Jaehyun had always loved kids, so it really came as no surprise when that was the path he chose to pursue after high school. Mark was starting at the same elementary school that he taught at in the fall, and the young boy was excited to see his uncle in passing in the halls or at recess. 

Johnny was sure the boys were too young to really understand that Jaehyun wasn’t their actual uncle, but the logistics of it mattered to no one. Johnny doesn’t have any siblings, so when Mark was born and Jaehyun held him for that first time, he made a point to introduce his friend to the infant as his uncle. Jaehyun didn’t seem to have any problems with the title, and Johnny knew that he loved the boys like his own family. And for that, Johnny was forever grateful. 

The waitress had returned with their drinks— coffees for the adults and chocolate milk for the kids— and took their food orders before walking away again. Haechan excitedly dropped his crayons and grabbed at his cup, bouncing up and down in his seat. He removed the remaining paper on his straw and took a long sip, ending it with a satisfying sigh. Johnny shook his head and smiled, bringing his coffee to his lips for a taste. The liquid was not too hot, so he took a long sip, relishing in the familiar flavor. Coffee had been an integral part of his morning routine for years now, so even the first swallow was enough to calm his nerves and ready him for the rest of the day. He started drinking coffee towards the end of high school only as a way to keep himself awake during his classes, but he had now grown to truly appreciate the taste of the beverage. The biggest drawback to his slight caffeine addiction was the kids’ ever-growing curiosity to it. They were constantly asking for a sip of the bitter liquid, even after Johnny takes the time to explain that they would most certainly not like it. Once, he had forgotten to take his mug to the kitchen after his early-morning cup and found Mark downing the last swallow of it. Johnny felt bad for laughing at the poor boy’s reaction, but he had seemed to be trying to rub the taste off his tongue with his hands. He finally stopped cringing at the taste after downing an entire bottle of flavored water, and Johnny was sure he’d never ask for a sip again. Now, it was mostly Haechan who still inquired about the taste of coffee while Mark mostly questioned how adults could enjoy something so “yucky.” 

Johnny's attention was drawn back to the table as he heard Jaehyun asking Mark about his outfit. Mark let out a little gasp and set his crayons back on the table, scrambling to stand up on the booth. Johnny held out a hand to steady him and looked around the diner, making sure they weren’t about to get yelled at. Satisfied that no one was even looking in their direction, he turned back to watch Mark stand on one foot to show Jaehyun that he was even wearing Spider-Man socks!! 

“Wow!” Jaehyun exclaimed, smiling at the young boy. “I think you’re his number one fan!” 

Marks eyes shone with excitement as he lowered his leg and bounced slightly on his toes. “I hope so! Daddy reads me some of his stories, and he lets me watch his movies every weekend!”

Haechan piped in then, pointing a crayon in his brothers direction. “He does! He knows everything about Spider-Man.”

Mark nodded vigorously and hummed in agreement. He flicked his hands forward, his middle and ring finger bent inward, mimicking how the superhero uses his web. He added a little swoosh sound as he made the motion towards various walls in the diner. Haechan laughed at his brothers display, mimicking the same motion. He then began to pull himself up onto the booth but Johnny quickly put a hand out to stop him.

“Please stay seated, Haechan. And Mark sweetie, can you please sit down too? I don’t want anyone losing their balance and getting hurt.”

Mark gave a quick nod and started to sit down, Johnny giving him a helping hand. The young boy resumed his superhero display from his seated position and threw an imaginary web at his uncle. Jaehyun played along and pretended to fall unconscious, slouching against his seat. His display earned several giggles from the kids and a small chuckle from their father. After settling down again, Mark and Haechan made light chit-chat with the adults—they were only half-interested in the conversations as they were now playing tic-tac-toe on the margins of their placemats. Their waitress came back to the table after another few moments, this time carrying a large tray holding their breakfast. Johnny’s stomach growled at the sight of his omelet, his mouth instantly salivating at the smell. Before digging into his own meal, he helped both kids cut up their pancakes into bite-sized pieces. Haechan squirmed into his seat the entire time, too impatient and hungry to sit still. The minute Johnny pulled his hands away, the youngest dug into his plate. He began shoveling the pancake pieces into his mouth and had to reminded to slow down. Mark took more time eating his way through his pancakes, but he had sticky syrup dripping down his mouth and onto his shirt. 

Breakfast was a largely quiet affair, with most of the commentary coming from Haechan in between his bites of food. He had to be reminded multiple times to stop and chew before speaking. Johnny could recount dozens of times his youngest had choked on his food because he tried to hold a conversation while eating. The toddler simply had so much to say and he needed to tell the world as quickly as he could. Johnny and Jaehyun fell back into their earlier conversation about Johnny’s summer class. Details about plans and assignments were shared, feedback was offered, and the overall conversation had Johnny feeling better about his course. For reasons he could never identify, he always felt more nervous about summer courses than the regular semester. He’s not sure if it had to do with the smaller class size or the large online aspect, but he always felt unprepared. 

“So your class in in-person on Mondays, but online on Wednesdays and Fridays?” Jaehyun asked, scooping his remaining hash browns onto his fork. “What’re the boys going to do while you’re gone?”

Johnny took a sip of his coffee before replying, setting the mug back down on the table. “Haechan’s preschool has a summer daycare I can take them to. Mark’s not too happy to be spending time with ‘babies,’ as he put it, but I’m sure he’ll have fun.”

Mark pouted slightly at the mention of his name, so Johnny reached over and rubbed the boys’ ear, drawing a laugh from him.

“You know, I wouldn’t mind watching them for you while you’re in class. It’s only what, a few hours every Monday?” Jaehyun smiled at the way both boys perked up at his proposition. They turned to their father and gave him the best puppy-dog eyes they could muster. 

“I don’t know, Jae. I really don’t want to inconvenience you during your summer vacation.” 

“It’s no inconvenience at all!” Jaehyun chuckled, “you know I love the boys and I have absolutely no plans at all for the summer. I would watch them every day if you needed.”

“Yeah, Daddy! Please let Uncle Jae watch us. Pretty please.” Mark scooted closer to Johnny, looking up at him with his big brown eyes, his lips in a pout. 

“Well there’s no way I could resist this cute face.” Johnny leaned forward and cupped the sides of Mark’s face, planting a kiss on his forehead. “I’ll take you up on your offer Jae, but if anything comes up and you can’t take them any day, just let me know.”

Mark and Haechan both gave a little cheer and Jaehyun held his hands out for a high five. Johnny smiled as he watched the exchange, knowing the time together would be good for all of them. He almost wished he didn’t have class and could hang out with the trio too. But alas, he had a job to do and students to teach. Plus, he loved what he did and they had a whole summer to plan something again with all four of them. 

They finished their breakfast shortly after the new summer baby-sitting agreement, and the two boys were still chatting away with Jaehyun over all the games they could play while they were together. When the waitress returned to their table with the check, Johnny took it from her while Jaehyun was too busy talking with the kids to argue about it. He excused himself to go pay for their meals and Jaehyun took the boys to the bathroom to wash away the pancake syrup from their hands and faces. When they emerged from the bathroom, Johnny was standing by the entrance to the diner, sucking on a mint he grabbed from a little bowl beside the cash register. Both boys were holding onto one of Jaehyun’s hands and swinging their arms back and forth. They each had a slight bounce in their step that seemed to get bigger once they saw Johnny. When they were only a couple feet away, Haechan dropped Jaehyun’s hand and ran the short distance to his father. Johnny bent over and picked him up, leaning his head in to plant a wave of kisses on his cheek. Haechan squealed and laughed as he kept turning his head in an attempt to stop the torrent of pecks. Johnny kept ahold of his son but held himself back from laying any more kisses on him. 

“Thank you for cleaning them up,” Johnny said to Jaehyun as he moved to hold the diner door open. 

“A little warm water does wonders for sticky syrups. It was no biggie,” he passed through the open door and stepped outside. The morning air was still a little chilly and Jaehyun saw Mark shiver as a gust of wind blew by. Even though they were only parked just a few feet away, Jaehyun picked the boy up and held him tightly against his chest in an attempt to pass over whatever body heat he could. Mark wrapped his arms around Jae’s neck and laid his head on the man’s shoulder. Johnny followed Jaehyun out the door, Haechan bouncing himself slightly in Johnnys arms, playing with the collar of his shirt. 

“Are you sleepy already, Mark? You haven’t been up for that long yet,” Johnny asked as he saw the young boy curled up in his friend’s arms. 

“No, I just love Uncle Jae so much,” he responded, closing his eyes and tightening his hold on Jaehyun. Jaehyun smiled and laid a soft kiss on the top of his head. 

Johnny and Jaehyun moved to the former’s car and buckled the boys into their car seats. Jaehyun leaned in to tell the kids that he would see them the next week when their father returns to work. Johnny chuckled at the cheering he could hear from outside the car. When Jaehyun straightened up and closed the car door, he thanked his friend for breakfast, and they exchanged farewells before Jaehyun made his way to his car. Johnny got into the front seat and looked in his rearview mirror, seeing both boys still cheering about getting to see their favorite (and only) uncle every week during their summer break. Their cheers lasted the entire drive home and only subsided after they made it back inside their home. The boys immediately headed to the kitchen which served as the only room with access to the basement door. After discarding his shoes in the entranceway, Johnny followed their path to the kitchen. He glanced at the counter on his way to the basement door and saw the box of strawberries from the morning’s pre-breakfast incident. He grabbed it before making his way down the basement steps, wondering if they had any gardening tools in the shed. When he made it to the bottom of the stairs, he saw both boys moving to grab the box of action figures they had on the floor. 

“Hey guys, would you like to help me with a little project this afternoon?”


	4. Warm Spring Days

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, im so sorry for the long wait on this chapter. Online school proved to be a lot of work and stress and i had almost no free time :( but thats over and done with so I'm back! I hope to start writing a lot more and provide updates regularly! I hope you all forgive me! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well <3
> 
> sorry for any typos or grammatical errors. I hate reading my own writing, so my proofreading sucks. hehe, i hope its not too bad!

Johnny and the boys stood in front of their garden 30 minutes after Johnny asked for their help. They had all changed into something more gardening appropriate, which really just meant some already-stained t-shirts and shorts. Johnny had rummaged through his shed and found a few trowels, a watering can, and some old packets of seeds he couldn’t even remember buying. The seeds were for green beans, tomatoes, and zinnias; the planting instructions on the back of the packets were far too faded to even read. He had also found one pair of adult sized gloves, so he gave each boy one. Mark and Haechan now stood beside their father, staring down at their gloved hand. The gloves were much too large for either of them, and Johnny had to fasten them to their wrists with some hair ties.

“Well,” Johnny started, “I think we should pull out all the weeds first. So, you see all the little plants springing up from the dirt? Pull all of them up and throw them into a pile.”

“But why pull them out? Don’t we want plants to grow?” Haechan asked quizzically, looking to his father with his brows furrowed.

“We do! But these aren’t good plants like the ones we’re planting,” Johnny explained, “these plants will take all the nutrients meant for our plants, and it could hurt them.” 

Mark piped in then with a simple, “nutrients?” so Johnny continued his explanation.

“Yes! Good question. Nutrients provide what any living thing needs to survive. The food that we eat will provide us with the nutrients we need to have energy and to stay healthy.” Johnny made a vague motion to the ground then, gesturing towards the garden. “But plants get some of their nutrients from the soil. So, if there’s weeds near them, the weeds will use up all the nutrients so that our plants can’t get any! Does that make sense?”

Both boys nodded and seemed satisfied with the explanation. Haechan stepped forward and crouched down in front of a tall green weed. He wrapped his gloved fist around the stalk of the plant and gave it a yank. The weed snapped in half and Haechan thrusted the now-broken plant in the direction of his father with a proud expression on his face. Johnny chuckled but moved beside the child, bending over and pulling the weed the rest of the way out of the dirt. 

“That was a good try, but you have to grab them right above the dirt. You need to pull all the roots out with the weed, or it’ll just grow back!” 

Johnny held up the roots for both kids to see and demonstrated the correct weeding technique a few times. He pinched the plant right at the spot where it sprouted from the soil and jerked it upwards. The stalk pulled free from the dirt, revealing the cluster of weeds at the bottom. Both boys nodded in understanding and settled themselves in part of the garden, using what they just learned to pull out the wildflowers taking over the patches of earth. The hands they wore the gloves on struggled to grasp the plants, and most of the time the plant slipped through their grip. Johnny had stood over them to supervise for a bit, but he found himself struggling to suppress his laugh as he watched them struggle with their gloves. He moved to the opposite side of the garden to begin weeding from the other end. The sun was rising high in the sky and Johnny could feel a line of sweat trickle down his back. He did his best to work efficiently but quickly, as he could tell it was only going to get warmer out. After maybe 10 minutes of working, he heard grumbling behind him and turned to see Haechan struggling to take his glove off. He was getting frustrated and was trying to pull it off, but the hair tie was keeping it securely in place. Johnny walked over and helped him take it off before his frustrating resulted in tears. 

“You don’t like the glove?” Johnny asked, noticing Mark was taking his glove off as well.

“No!” Haechan exclaimed, balling his fists up, “I can’t hold on! The plants just slip out”

“Yeah me too,” Mark chimed in, “it’s too hard with the gloves.”

“Okay, well you don’t have to use the gloves if you don’t want to. But be careful pulling the weeds out with your bare hands, sometimes the plants can be prickly. If the plants are prickly just leave them be and I’ll get them.” Johnny tousled each boys’ hair and went back to weeding his section of the garden. He was impressed at how many weeds there were for the size of their garden. 

The boys finished weeding just before noon, so Johnny went in the house and brought out snacks for them to enjoy before they started planted. They sat in the grass and Johnny let them prattle on about their cartoons as they sipped on lemonade and snacked on apple slices and pretzels. Mark and Haechan began to reenact their favorite scenes using the pretzel rods as imaginary tools and wands. They chased each other around the backyard after they ate, shrieking and laughing as they ran around. Johnny watched them with a smile, his heart happy. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin. He thought about laying back and taking a nap, but he knew that he would lose all motivation to plant the strawberries if he did. Plus, he’s not sure what havoc the boys would cause if they were left outside unsupervised. So instead of laying down he stood up, brushing off his pants. Reaching his hands up to the sky to stretch, he looked around the yard and found Mark and Haechan playing around in the garden. They were squatted down and dragging sticks through the dirt, making little drawings and designs. Johnny walked over to them and squatted down, tilting his head to try and make out what they were drawing. After being thoroughly perplexed for a few minutes, he shook his head and stood up.

“Are you guys ready to plant the seeds now?” He asked the boys.

Both boys stood up in a hurry, letting out two loud exclamations of excitement. Johnny walked over and picked up the packets of seeds he had discarded momentarily on the ground. 

“Okay, so I’m going to go around and dig a bunch of little holes in the garden. I need one of you to go and sprinkle a few seeds into each hole and then I need someone to go and cover the seeds back up with dirt. So, who wants to be in charge of the seeds?”

Haechan’s little arm shot up in the air, his eyes wide with excitement. “Haechan wants the seeds!”

Johnny laughed but went to hand him the seed packets. He tore the corner off each packet and showed Haechan that if he just tipped the packet forward, a few seeds would fall out. Haechan nodded once which Johnny took as an “I understand” motion. He turned to Mark then, explaining his task. 

“After your brother puts in the seeds, all you have to do is brush your hands over the earth and push some dirt back in the holes. Understood?”

Mark nodded as well, his brows furrowed in determination. Johnny moved to the corner of the garden and began to make little wells in the dirt. After he had made about a dozen, he gave Haechan permission to begin sprinkling in the seeds. He watched the boy for a while, making sure he didn’t put too many seeds in one hole. Satisfied that he was doing a good job, he then watched Mark. Fortunately, Mark had the easiest task, so he had no trouble filling each hole back in. The trio worked together until each hole was dug, seeded, and filled in again. The sun was high in the sky by the time they finished. Johnny decided that it was a beautiful day, but perhaps it was just slightly too warm for gardening. Just when he was satisfied that they only thing they had left to do was water the seeds, he saw the box of strawberries and realized they had forgotten to plant them. 

“Okay you guys know the green hose on the side of the house? Why don’t you both help carry it over here and I’ll plant these strawberries I forgot about?”

Mark and Haechan chirped a simple “okay!” before running towards the hose. Johnny planted the strawberries in a small section of the garden that got no other seeds as they had run out. By the time he had finished, the boys were back with the hose and were practically vibrating with anticipation. They had played in the hose plenty of times on hot summer days and were undoubtedly expecting to play in it again after watering the garden. 

“Daddy, I turned the hose on too!” Mark exclaimed, “can we water them now?”

Johnny wiped his hands on his shorts before moving to grab the hose. He held the nozzle straight up in the air and pressed down on it, letting forth a long stream of water that fell back on them like rain. Both kids shrieked and ran in circles under the water. Johnny laughed but turned the hose back down towards the garden, making sure every bit of the earth got sufficiently saturated. Mark and Haechan watched patiently, waiting for their turn with the hose again. Once Johnny was satisfied with the garden, he announced that they were done. He tossed the hose on the ground and stretched his arms high in the sky. 

“Can we play with the hose now?” Mark asked.

“Sure but be careful. I’m going to put the tools away and clean up a little.” 

Johnny moved to pick up the empty seed packets and tools, watching his sons move to the hoses discarded location. Mark picked it up first, spraying his brother down with water. Johnny smiled at the pair before going back into the shed to put the tools away. When he came back out and closed the door, the boys were chasing each other around the yard. Haechan had the hose now, though he was struggling sightly with dragging the long hose around. Johnny walked to the trashcan they had outside to throw away the trash. After he was done cleaning, he turned to watch the kids play in the yard. The ground was sufficiently wet now, and the boys kept slipping in the grass and mud. The two didn’t seem to mind slipping and falling every so often, as their laughs only got louder each time the other fell. When Johnny decided they were covered in enough mud, he walked to the side of the house to turn the hose off. He could hear the sounds of disappointment from both Mark and Haechan, but after a moment they came around the corner, the hose in hand. Johnny took it from Mark and wound it up to the best of his ability before really taking in how dirty both boys were. They were covered head to toe in mud and grass. Johnny couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of them. 

“Well you guys are going to have to take a bath as soon as we go inside,” He told them with a chuckle. 

Both boys looked at each other then and began to laugh. Johnny walked them to the back door and picked them up, not wanting them to track any mud through the house. He had the sense to put on a pair of old sneakers, but the two boys had been running around barefoot. Johnny slipped off his sneakers before stepping in the house, so he didn’t track any mud in either. He carried the kids straight to the bathroom and set them down. He plugged the tub and began filling it, adding some bubble bath as per Haechan’s request. Helping them both out of their muddy clothes, he left them inside out to keep the mud contained. He let the boys in the tub together while he threw their clothes in the hamper. Once the tub was sufficiently filled, he shut off the water. Haechan and Mark were busy putting bubbles on their heads and faces and laughing at their new look. Johnny decided to join in and scooped up a handful of bubbles, setting them on Haechans chin to give him a long bubble beard. All three of them began to laugh at the youngest’s new appearance. After they all settled down again, Johnny grabbed the shampoo and began the bathing process. Mark worked on washing his own hair, working the shampoo through like his father had done to him many times before. Haechan preferred to be doted on, letting Johnny do everything for him. Mark had started to prefer his own independence; he liked washing himself, dressing himself, and even helping Johnny make their meals. Johnny didn’t mind too much as he still needed help with most tasks. It wasn’t like his 4-  
year-old had suddenly grown up and no longer needed his help. But he still felt a twang of sadness every now and then when he thought about the day his boys would grow up and move out. Fortunately that day was not today.

After he finished washing Haechan’s hair and helping Mark wash his, he lathered up a washcloth with body wash to scrub the rest of them clean. About halfway through he had to drain the tub and fill it again with clean water, as it had become dark from the mud he was washing off. He noticed that both boys looked incredibly tired, the hot water and todays activities draining them of all their energy. He even caught Mark dozing off in the bath a few times. When he was satisfied that both boys were squeaky clean, he pulled the plug off the drain and stood up to grab two clean towels from the bathroom closet. He dried off Mark first, wrapping the towel around him and sending him off to his room to get dressed. He dried off Haechan then, noticing that the little one could barely keep his eyes open. He wrapped the towel around him and picked him up, carrying him into his bedroom. After getting the boy dressed in some comfy clothes, he laid him down on his bed. It didn’t take long for the toddler to drift off to sleep. Johnny kissed him on the forehead before leaving his room and going into Marks. Mark had one arm and the top of his head peeking out of an arm hole, and he seemed to be stuck. 

“Can you help me please?” He asked.

Johnny held back his laughter but helped the kid put his shirt on correctly. He picked him up after, laying a shower of kisses on his cheek. Mark giggled and pulled away, trying to dodge them. Johnny let out a chuckle before walking over to Marks bed and laying him down. Mark got himself settled before closing his eyes and yawning. Johnny placed one more kiss on his forehead before leaving his room too. Standing out in the hallway, Johnny sighed. He knew the kids needed to nap but he got bored without them. Looking down at himself, he saw that his shirt was soaked, so he headed into his bedroom to change. He decided to take a shower first, scrubbing off the dirt and sweat from their afternoon activities. Feeling refreshed, he got dressed after his shower and headed into his office. He turned on the computer, deciding to get some writing done before the boys woke up again.


End file.
